I want to give birth in my hometown hey sis could you please leave soon one day after work I came home to find my sister who had gotten married and moved out years ago in my room she was proudly showing off her pregnant belly but I was too surprised to say anything I stood there in shock while she laughed at me you're just in the way since you can't even get a boyfriend an old maid like you should be grateful she sneered to make it easier for her to leave leave my room which used to
be normal before I left for work in the morning I threw away everything that was in there now my room was completely empty the bed table rug curtains all gone the only thing left was my sister standing in the middle of the room your phone and wallet are in your bag right so you won't end up broke it's time for you to stop relying on our parents and start living on your own yeah I didn't think about getting my stuff back or kicking my sister out I just didn't want to see her anymore that's all
as I walked away I could hear my sister burst out laughing unable to hold it in any longer you can't even say anything back at this point aren you too weak she mocked ignoring her I kept walking down the hallway my dad was on the phone in the living room and my mom was probably making dinner their voices cheerful and humming behind me I walked out the front door taking in the night air adjusting my bag on my shoulder as I headed towards the street where there were many hotels suddenly I realized something I wondered
who would pay the mortgage on the house from now on oh well never mind I'm Julia a 27-year-old office worker I have a stable job but also do video editing webw writing and blog Management on the side people might say 27 is old enough to start thinking about marriage but I'm not too focused on Love and Marriage part of the reason is that my sister was treated like a princess at home which made me feel left out by my family this has kept me from really wanting to start my own happy family I've always lived
with my parents and housel chores are supposed to be shared with my mom but in reality I end up doing most of them my mom comes back exhausted from her part-time job and seeing her like that makes me feel like I should be the one handling the chores since becoming a working adult I've been contributing a lot to the household expenses much more than what my friends who live alone in Tokyo pay I'm more of an indoor person who enjoys studying and didn't go out much even during my student days so I didn't have many
desires for material things and ended up saving most of the money I earned even after starting work I didn't spend much on myself and gave more money for household expenses thinking it would help my parents furthermore since last year I've been helping with the mortgage payments at my parents' request they seem to think it's okay for me to contribute more to the household and mortgage payments because I have a steady income and am responsible however I feel like my parents aren't very interested in me because their attention has always been on my sister Kristen who
is a year younger than me Kristen is outgoing and active she used to go out somewhere every weekend during her student day days naturally my parents thought her lifestyle required money so even when she lived at home they never asked her to contribute to the mortgage or household expenses it seems my parents have gotten used to thinking of me the older sister as low maintenance while my sister requires more attention recently my sister moved out to live on her own her workplace wasn't far from our parents home and when I asked her why she decided
to live alone she said I wanted to try living by myself I want to go out at night and be able to invite my boyfriend over this answer was far from what I had imagined I thought she moved out to make things easier for our parents or to become independent on the other hand I had no intention of leaving our parents' house and believed it was natural to help each other out as a family even if it meant contributing more to the living expenses then after a while when I returned home my sister was waiting
waiting for me saying welcome back sis I often feel like my parents are more interested in my younger sister Kristen than in me Kristen is outgoing and active always going out on weekends during her student days because of her lifestyle my parents assumed she needed more financial support so they never asked her to contribute to household expenses or the mortgage when she lived at home it seems my parents have been conditioned to see me the older sister as low maintenance while my sister gets more attention recently Kristen moved out to live on her own not
far from our parents home when I asked her why she wanted to live alone she said I wanted to try living by myself I want to go out at night and be able to invite my boyfriend over this answer was far from what I expected I thought maybe she wanted to make things easier for our parents or become more independent on the other hand I never planned to leave our parents' house and believed it was natural to support each other as a family even if it meant contributing more to household expenses then when I returned
home later on my sister was waiting for me and said welcome back sis I'm getting married and we'll have a dinner party so both families can meet each other can you come to the party my sister mentioned the party would be at a well-established restaurant in the LA and emphasized wearing proper clothes not my usual plain ones so she wouldn't be embarrassed even though I didn't own any fancy clothes I decided to attend in my usual suit it was the most respectful attire I had my sister's fiance seemed sincere and was very polite he made
a good impression by saying nice to meet you sister-in-law I look forward to getting along I thought my sister had chosen a good partner for herself maybe with him she might settle down a bit I thought in a sisterly way in Al the atmosphere between both families was formal and tense but as alcohol was served the tension eased and conversation shifted to discussing children after marriage our eldest daughter Julia is almost 30 and still unmarried without any plans to marry so it looks like we'll only be able to see grandchildren from our younger daughter Kristen
my parents said eagerly we're looking forward to it so much I want to have children right after getting married maybe three Kristen said and the conversation became Lively suddenly I noticed my sister's husband had a forced smile looking uncomfortable as if his earlier cheerful smile was a lie I felt he was also uncomfortable just like me I wish the party would end soon since then my parents started doing on my sister as if she were an investment for their first grandchild whenever my sister mentioned that eating certain foods would make it easier to get pregnant
my parents would immediately agree and urge Kristen to eat a lot there might be a chance I can't get pregnant because of tight clothes she said one day and they rushed to a department store to buy her a dress if you visit this church you'll be blessed with children they said and they even went on a trip together my parents doing whatever my sister said was usual for me so I didn't think much of it other than they're doing their usual thing one day my sister made a sarcastic remark to me about not getting married
or showing any effort to give our parents a grandchild it must be nice being carefree and single aren't you planning to get married and move out soon with that plain face of yours no man would come near you you need a bit more sex appeal should I teach you how to do your makeup she laughed her words irritated me but I knew arguing back would only lead to a fight so I stayed silent my sister has always been confident that she's more loved by our parents than I am and she often speaks to me in
a strong tone then one day my sister got pregnant I wondered if she could truly become a mother but I thought maybe it would be okay with her husband my sister said since I'm pregnant I don't want to cause trouble at work and I want to focus on parenting and she easily quit her job however her husband thought that solely parenting on his salary wouldn't be practical but my sister didn't listen and quit her job anyway one day when I returned from work I noticed my room's door was slightly open which seemed out of place
since I'm quite meticulous about keeping it closed at 4:00 I'm meticulous about keeping everything neat closets and drawers are always closed especially my room's door my parents wouldn't have come in to clean because I handle all the cleaning myself nervously I opened the door to my room and was shocked there was nothing nothing inside I didn't have many belongings but I kept things precious to me since childhood in labeled storage boxes stored in the closet gone were my electronic dictionary my grandparents gifted commuter pass case my diplomas tropies and albums old and worn out but
precious to me standing bewildered in the empty room I heard a familiar voice from behind oh you're back sis I decided to come home for my child birth looking at my sister's face as she spoke with a laugh I immediately knew she must have moved my things Kristen where did you put my stuff in the closet I asked in a panic but my sister still laughing said what's the rush it wasn't anything important right just junk being told my precious belongings were junk made anger well up inside me it might be junk to you but
it's important to me give it back now it's insane Saye to move all someone's belongings out when they're not home surprised at the first time she saw me raise my voice she blurted out I've already thrown it away in my 27 years of life I had never been this angry it was outrageous to throw away someone's belongings without permission put everything back right now I demanded but my sister unapologetically said it's already been taken by the garbage truck I can't give them back she looked at me with disdain and added what's the big deal you're
getting so angry over some junk are you crazy don't yell like that it's bad for the baby ostentatiously rubbing her belly then she continued I've decided to live here even after the baby is born it seems tough after childbirth and Mom and Dad want to see their grandchild every day Matt plans to stay here too so it's too small with just my room that's why I decided to use your room too you understand right you're such a filial piety failure I was utterly astounded by her selfish behavior going to our parents home for childbirth is
supposed to be a temporary return but living here with her husband and child is simply cohabitation isn't it and then to unilaterally label someone as a failure in filial piety my anger bubbled up do you even realize you're being a failure in filial piety staying at home without getting married married and as the eldest daughter not even bringing in a son-in-law I'll show them a grandchild's face and create a life where we can live together and see each other every day who do you think is doing more for our parents she was unilaterally declaring as
if it were all my fault but there was no way I could just sit back and listen to her if you want to live in this house as a family that's something the whole family should discuss especially since you want to use my room you should have said something sooner if you had a set date for returning at that point my sister interrupted by banging loudly on my room's door shut up see you're always like this making a fuss that's why I made it so you have no choice but to leave it's annoying that sounded
like mere lashing out trying to use someone's room without permission and having thrown out the current residence belongings yet she spoke as if she were the victim Kristen banged on the door over and over again you're in the way leave don't ever come back I was beyond flabbergasted then as you wish I'll just leave I don't have any belongings left no need to pack my immense anger had now turned into sheer astonishment I even felt like I never wanted to see her again I turned around and headed straight for the entrance my parents didn't seem
to notice me returning and immediately leaving through the front door my father was was probably bragging on the phone to a relative about his pregnant daughter coming home to live with them permanently my mother seemed to be in the kitchen possibly making my sister's favorite dish humming a tune I wasn't living with my family expecting anything in return the difference in how my sister and I were treated since childhood I thought it was because she was good at Charming our parents and that was okay but even after growing up and taking on most of the
household responsibilities this was how I was treated despite allocating most of my salary to living expenses and The house's mortgage yet my sister who never contributed a penny was welcomed with open arms the negative aspects of my parents I had tried not to see combined with my sister's Behavior morphed into contempt without saying I'm leaving or goodbye I opened the front door until that door closed neither my parents nor my sister said anything to me then a week later at the end of the month which was payday I usually transferred living expenses and the mortgage
payment to my father's account but I didn't make the deposit since I don't live there anymore I don't see why I should pay the mortgage for a house I'm not living in the housing mortgage was originally taken out by my father so it was supposed to be planned in such a way that he could comfortably repay it from his income the household shouldn't become unsustainable just because I I stopped making deposits however a little while later I got a call from my mother right off the bat she said Julia we've received a notice for unpaid
mortgage when I checked there was no money in my father's account she rattled on before I could even answer clearly in a panic culia do you know why this happened don't tell me you withdrew it in contrast to her frantic tone I answered calmly all I did was stop making deposits I didn't withdraw anything if there's an unpaid mortgage it means the withdrawal couldn't be made right did you make sure there was enough balance on the withdrawal date you didn't make a deposit why she sounded genuinely puzzled so I became just as confused because it
was agreed that I contribute to the living expenses and the mortgage since I was living at home once I left I obviously wouldn't continue to pay right I don't live there anymore it seemed to finally Dawn on her as I heard her gasp softly so you don't need to pay the living expenses you're right but could you still contribute to the mortgage even living on your own you should have some leeway right sorry but I can't my current rent alone is $5,000 I'm stretched thin as it is covering my own living costs let alone paying
for a mortgage on a house I'll never return to $5,000 you're just an ordinary empy employee how could you afford such a place hearing my mother's astonished voice I sigh that's the same amount I used to give hone every month asking such a thing now it's clear you never really cared about me if that's the case I can't discuss money with you any further I'm not your personal ATM I could hear my mother whimpering over the phone no no she repeated her voice thinner than I had ever heard I felt no pity a month had
passed last since I left quietly yet there was no concern over my well-being only about the mortgage and living expenses my rent only money it painfully highlighted that their interest was not in me but in my money that's why I hadn't felt compelled to share that I was extensively freelancing online making far more than my father's monthly salary the house mortgage still has 15 years left so I was depositing $55,000 every month including savings it seems my mother mistook it as my father's income given his age and years of service her assumption was understandable yet
she never noticed the exact amount deposited every month a glance at my father's pay slip would have clarified the discrepancy ultimately my mother didn't care about the source of the money which is why she failed to notice when the monthly income haved leading to a shortage and subsequent mortgage payment failures only noticed when prompted by a notice when the absence was finally felt she acted in a manner so typical of her I could only offer a faint smile lately she have been indulging my sister's demands for expensive baby items further straining their finances but without
your contributions we can't make in Meet could you send some money as remittance I've told you I can't why don't you ask Kristen to contribute a bit for living expenses if that's not enough maybe you should increase your part-time work as I conveyed this my mother's shriek pierced my ears Kristen just had a baby how can I work more and leave her alone with the baby are you suggesting Kristen should work too how could you say such awful things I clarified that's not what I meant if Kristen and Matt as a couple are going to
live at Mom and Dad's house then they should be contributing some amount towards the living expenses I did the same didn't I and isn't Matt still working yet you're planning to live together without contributing anything after calmly responding to avoid provoking my mother silence followed staying there just temporarily might be fine but Kristen said she plans to live there forever and dad seems to think the same so it would be better for everyone living together from now on to discuss how to handle finances and share the burden I've already left the house so I can't
be part of that discussion waiting a bit for a response that never came I then said I'm going to hang up now I don't plan on contacting you guys anymore so after I hang up I'll block you Dad and Kristen's numbers you guys can delete my contact information too bye with that I ended the call the last thing I heard was a bewildered ha from my mother before another call from my mother could come in I quickly navigated my phone to block all three of them after completing the settings I took several deep breaths and
moved closer to the living room window from this 25th floor apartment I couldn't see people outside without looking down after leaving my family home I moved into what's known as a high-rise apartment in fact my side income had significantly increased allowing me to save tens of thousands every month even after transferring $5,000 to my family remembering my mother who would spend whatever money she had I felt relieved by hadn't suggested using my savings to pay off the mortgage in full after all my parents wanted me out Kristen being heavily pregnant couldn't possibly have moved my
bed and table on her own someone definitely helped her while it might have been Matt I would like to think he wouldn't partake in moving all belongings from a lived in room either way such a significant move would have been noticed by my parents I was the only one who went out for work that day and they were home all all day yet they said nothing when I returned and ignored me even as I was leaving whether they were persuaded by Christen or not it was clear my parents had a part in wanting me out
feeling this betrayal I decided then to give up everything and leave had I paid off the mortgage in full the three of them would have lived comfortably in a spacious home I could not allow that to happen so I chose the high-rise apartment for my new home I remember when we used to gather around the TV at as a family dreaming about living in such a place my decision to live in a high-rise apartment out of spite turned out to be far more comfortable than expected My Chosen Furniture a space undisturbed by anyone and the
freedom to live off my earnings brought me immense satisfaction making my potentially struggling mother believe I was living in a luxurious home felt exhilarating I may have bried a bit too much about paying $5,000 in rent but my mother never noticed moreover getting along well with my neighbors on the same and adjacent floors was a delight contrary to my expectations of encountering boastful conversations about income or car ownership everyone was humble making for a pleasant living environment 3 months later my peaceful life was disrupted as I left the office Kristen approached me from behind sis
there's something I need to talk to you her lips trembled as she spoke her appearance rougher than a year ago likely due to childbirth and parenting yet her charm remained drawing attention from my colleagues and employees from other companies as they passed by sorry but I have plans afterward if it's about the house talk to Mom I attempted to gently remove Kristen's hand her eyes began to well up with tears on the verge of crying drawing some cold stares from the people around it would be Troublesome to be seen as heartless for rejecting her harshly
in public reluctantly I faced Kristen and suggested heading to a cafe near the station to which she happily agreed actually I've been having an affair Matt found out and now he wants a divorce this was the statement she blurted out the moment we sat down in the cafe it felt like something out of a drama he had the baby's DNA tested without my knowledge it turns out Matt isn't the father he's Furious and talking about divorce Kristen spoke in a hushed tone aware of the sensitivity of the topic but I was overwhelmed by the succession
of shocking revelations he doesn't want custody since it's not his child he's talking about filing something to terminate the parent child relationship I didn't understand all he said but he's refusing to give us any money insisting on suing for compensation you're wealthy right please do something perhaps this is what it means to be utterly speechless my sister cheated so it's natural she would be sued for compensation and of course no one would want to pay child support for a child that isn't theirs I couldn't comprehend the nerve of my sister coming to me for a
solution why don't you ask the person you cheated with to pay the compensation to you I can't do that it was just a flame because I found him attractive and after a few dates and finding out about the baby I cut ties you thought that wouldn't come out I thought Matt would forgive me it seems she underestimated her own husband to a remarkable extent though I knew my sister was selfish I was astonished to see she treated even her loved ones this way then Matt didn't forgive me at all instead he said he's been hating
how I acted like a princess all along and that the pressure from our parents to have children was unbearable terrible isn't it even being blamed like this my sister still finds a way to play the victim I can't pay the compensation and mom and dad say they have no money so you have to pay it Julia she navely assumed it was a given that I would pay just like she thought it was okay to throw out all my belongings labeling them junk I was profoundly disgusted by her sense of entitlement that someone would always bail
her out without hiding my revulsion I stood up to leave and Kristen quickly turned pale grabbing my hand with both both of hers I understand I'll apologize I'm sorry for throwing out your stuff without asking I've apologized so we're good now right please give me the money quickly she said tilting her head slightly and using a sweet voice that sent shivers down my spine I shook off her hand in disgust are you stupid why should I pay for the consequences of your Affair it doesn't matter if we're sisters I hate you I despise you as
a person I I wouldn't help you even if you beged with that I left money for the coffee which hadn't yet been served on the table and headed for the exit ignoring Kristen's dramatically loud crying to attract attention and guilt me into returning I informed the staff that I left the payment on the table and walked out she probably thought her tears would make me reconsider no matter how loudly she cried or called out for her sister in a tragic voice I ignored her and walked away when I saw her standing up and heading towards
me I hurried to a crowded area not stopping to see what she might do next after about an hour of dodging through convenience stores bookstores and the shopping mall around the station and seeing no sign of Kristen I finally let out a deep breath and headed home reaching my 25th floor apartment I quickly unlocked the door and slid inside locking it behind me then the intercom rang my intercom rarely rings I don't use delivery services much and my neighbors usually call to make an appointment if they need something in this apartment where solicitors are scarce
the chime ringing at such a Time made my heart race the intercom rang once then again with the intervals between Rings getting shorter it sounded like someone was pressing the button repeatedly making me brace myself the intercom monitor was Pitch Black thinking it might be malfunctioning I leaned en close only to realize that the darkness was actually someone's pupils causing me to instinctively SWAT it away in doing so I accidentally pressed the answer button and immediately the voice I had been hearing echoed through just pay up you ugly it was my sister anger surged through
me more than fear I thought I had escaped it sounds like you went through an incredibly challenging and emotionally draining situation with your sister dealing with family disputes and Financial pressures can be incredibly stressful it's unfortunate that you had to experience this kind of behavior from someone you're related to it's good to hear that the security Personnel were able to handle the situation when your sister showed up at your apartment Uninvited it must have been a relief to know that she was escorted away and didn't return as for the ongoing disputes between Kristen and Matt
it sounds like a difficult and complicated situation family Dynamics can be complex especially when money and legal matters are involved if you're feeling overwhelmed or need support during this time it might be helpful to reach out to trusted friends or a counselor taking care of your own well-being is important especially after going through such challenging circumstances if there's anything else on your mind or if you want to talk more about this feel free to share the story goes like this because my parents couldn't keep up with the mortgage payments the bank took our family home
they had to sell the house to pay off the mortgage now they've moved to a less expensive apartment nearby this Sudden Change caused stress and tension in our family even though my dad's salary is enough for a modest life they struggled because they got used to the money I used to send them my mom went back to working part-time and Kristen found a job again despite having to handle child care it's been tough for Kristen taking care of her child and managing work and home thankfully her child is growing up healthy I've been trying to
help by giving them information about child care support even though it might seem like I'm meddling Meanwhile my own career is going well I got a promotion at work and I'm leading a new project my side business is also doing great especially a writing job that turned into a bestselling book My Success has helped my other projects grow too overall even though I'm tired sometimes coming back to my my comfortable home every day makes me truly happy
